Dena Nicolai: The Gift of Talking With an Elected Official - Advocating With Newcomers and Refugees | Season 4 Ep. 4

Do Justice

Dena Nicolai, chaplain and refugee support mobilizer with the Christian Reformed Churches of British Columbia, shares the simple starting place for much of her engagement with people who have been refugees: joining them for a cup of coffee and saying “tell me how you’re doing.” Dena and Chris also talk about the ministry of sharing in lament, the importance of advocating ‘with’ and rather than ‘for’, and how the advocacy of faith communities and sponsors alongside newcomers changed government policy to provide a more “full” welcome for refugees in Canada.

Show Notes:

• Transcript: https://dojustice.crcna.org/article/dena-nicolai-gift-talking-elected-official
• Citizens for Public Justice: https://cpj.ca/
• Half Welcome Report: https://cpj.ca/a-half-welcome/
• Continuing Welcome Report: https://network.crcna.org/biblical-justice/continuing-welcome-report
• Center for Public Dialogue: https://www.crcna.org/PublicDialogue
• Faith in Action: https://www.crcna.org/FaithInAction
• World Renew Refugee Sponsorship: https://worldrenew.ca/refugee-sponsorship
• Action Center: https://p2a.co/CGfkxsh

The Reformed family is a diverse family with a diverse range of opinions. Not all perspectives expressed on the podcast represent the official positions of the Christian Reformed Church.